“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” (Is that in the Bible? It ought to be. Smiley-face goes here.)

Here’s one that is: “I am also convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to admonish one another.” That’s Romans 15:14, and we sure wish we knew whether the Apostle Paul had tongue firmly planted in cheek when he said this or was dead serious.  It appears to us that the recipients of this Roman letter, as with so many of the others Paul wrote, were deficient in some areas of knowledge of spiritual things. We’re glad they were, of course, because in addressing these issues for them, Paul ended up instructing us.

One wonders what it must be like to be “filled with all knowledge.”

After all, “knowledge puffs up” (I Corinthians 8:1).  Modern translations say, “knowledge makes arrogant.”

Ignorance does too, oddly enough.  In fact….

Ignorance coupled with arrogance makes for a deadly combination.  When you see that monster coming down the road, get out of the way because it bloodies everything it touches.

I ran across a friend’s Facebook post where she was dissing preachers.  “We don’t need them,” she was saying, and a friend was agreeing with her.  They were egging each other on, piling up comments in this vein. That’s when I broke through the restraining fence I keep asking the Holy Spirit to maintain around my tendency to intrude in people’s conversations and inserted a comment: “Scripture says to reject the preacher is to reject Jesus.”  Something like that.

The next day, I decided to do something suicidal: I went to her page just to see what she and her collaborator had done with my statement.

They went ballistic.  These two women had a field day, accusing me of not knowing God’s word, of being ignorant of Scripture, of being out of my depth.

Having a history with the lady whose page I was staring at, I knew that reasoning with her is pointless.  She knows what she knows and no one can tell her anything different.  She will fight for her convictions, whether they are true or not.  Ignorance + arrogance on full display.

My comment to the two women was, “It’s in there. Please forgive me for intruding into your little party.”

And promptly unfriended her.

I don’t need the grief.

A couple of thoughts about this, the last one being the scripture on “rejecting preachers is to reject Jesus.” (You were wondering, right?).

Romans 15:14 (above) speaks of being “able to admonish one another.”  Nothing tells the story about our discipleship, our spirituality, and our maturity in Christ like these two aspects of admonishment: being able to take it and to give it.

1) Taking admonishment.  No one enjoys being rebuked or called down for misbehavior.  No minister or teacher gets pleasure from being shown how he/she has taught something that was “not quite true.”  And yet, it’s a necessary part of the Christian life.

Paul rebuked Peter for a case of mild hypocrisy (see Galatians 2).  And, as far as we can tell, Peter took it well.

Since we in this life “see through a glass darkly” and no one has a full grasp on truth or a monopoly  on Kingdom insights, we all need help.  There are few things I love more than sitting under a teacher or preacher who shows me something I’d never seen before in God’s Word.  (What is not so much fun is being visited by a deacon or another preacher and corrected for some error in doctrine.  I’ve been there and experienced that, and am the better for it. But again, it’s painful.)

And, I enjoy sharing something from the Word and having veteran teachers/preachers say afterward that “I learned something today.”

We can all help one another so much.

2) Giving admonishment.

Paul told young Timothy, “Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction….” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Our risen, ascended, and glorified Lord Jesus said, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

Receiving admonishment or rebuke for error is a part of the Christian life. If we cannot take it, if our ego is too large and our self-esteem out of control, we become a problem for the people of God.

I once rebuked a highly esteemed seminary professor.  And, may I say, he was not used to that. He struggled with it, then recovered and showed his true character and proceeded to bless my congregation.

The professor, who shall of course remain nameless, was highly skilled in the biblical languages. I had hosted him in my previous pastorates and heard him at conferences and knew the kind of in-depth teaching of which he was capable. But on the Sunday when he began the four-day Bible conference in my church, he was awful.  He was shallow, boring, and unchallenging to my people, many of whom were hungry for the kind of rich insights from Scripture I had led them to expect.

So, on a Monday morning, I sat down with him in his hotel room and, with my life in my hand–it felt like–I broached the subject. I said, “Professor, I have something to share with you, a word of criticism, if I may.” (All his defenses went on full alert. As I say, no one had done this to him in years. The high esteem with which he was held by all made his technique feel unassailable.)

I pointed out that I knew what he was capable of, that “there is none better.”  But, I added, “You are not doing it this week.  You disappointed us yesterday.”  I hastened to go on: “What we need from you are the kind of rich insights you are known for, giving us the in-depth teaching from God’s word that has built your reputation.  I cannot begin to do what you can. But I want you to start doing it!”

At first, he didn’t handle it well.

“Oh well! If you want me to impress them with my knowledge of the Greek and Hebrew, I can do that!” I’m confident people in the next room could hear his explosion.

I said, “No. That’s not what I’m asking for.  Just do what you do.  Teach the word.  Give us vintage (and here I used his name).”

I added, “Please forgive me.  You have no idea how painful this is. But I need to tell you why I’m doing it.”

Some years earlier, when I was new at that church, I told him, I invited a former pastor of mine for a four-day Bible conference. I knew by long experience what this man could do in teaching and preaching. But that week was terrible.  He chased down every rabbit trail, told a ton of silly stories, and never got into the Scripture.  I was humiliated, but could not bring myself to speaking to him about this.

“That’s when,” I said to the professor, “I decided I would never do that again. If a guest preacher is goofing off and not doing what we brought him here to do, I’m going to tell him.”

That night, and the rest of the conference, the professor was outstanding in every way.

It’s no fun being rebuked. But it is a part of the Christian life, period.

Finally, my comment to the two ladies that “to reject the preacher is to reject Jesus”….

As our Lord was sending the disciples out to preach, He said, “The one who listens to you, listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent me” (Luke 10:16).

Matthew 10:40 puts this: “He who receives you receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent me.” (And leaves out the negative aspect.)

Now, the obvious question is: In applying this to the apostles, as Jesus did, does it cover us preachers also? That is, the apostles were a special group, in a class by themselves.  So, are we out of line in appropriating such a principle for ministers of the gospel today?

In a similar vein, there is Hebrews 13:17. “Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give account.  Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would not be profitable for you.”

Recently, I ran across a fellow’s rant on the internet where he was saying that nowhere does Hebrews 13:17 mention preachers.  True, it doesn’t.  It speaks of “leaders” and those who “keep watch over your souls.”  If that is not the shepherds, the pastors, then who in the sam hill is it, I’d like to know!

The issue of pastoral authority in a church is a touchy matter, but one that our Lord settled, as far as I am concerned. And, based on all His teachings, it looks like this:

1) On the one side, church members submit to each other (Ephesians 5:21) and to their leadership “in the Lord,” which I take to mean, “not because they are smarter than me, but as a part of my discipleship to Jesus Christ.”  So, I look to my leaders and respect and follow them.

2) On the other side, the leadership must never play the authority card. “I am among you as one who serves,” Jesus said. “He who would be great among you shall be your servant.”  Leaders must serve, not “lord it over” the flock (see I Peter 5:3).

The preacher who demands subjection because “Scripture makes me the boss” is out of line.  He must devote himself to serving his people, to keeping their welfare his utmost concern, and as he does this, they will learn to trust him and will gladly follow his leadership.

Sorry this took so long.